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When we’re young, there’s something really off-putting about old people. We see their failing bodies and are reminded that, one day, we will look and move like them. It makes us aware of our own mortality at a time when we prefer only to think about today. We look away, trying to avoid the truth they represent. Then we get even more distressing news. It seems our grandparents are still active sexual partners. If death has left one or two as singles, they are out there looking for partners. How can this be? They are old and fat and wrinkled in all the wrong places. How can there be desire? How can they find each other attractive? It’s not something we even want to try and understand. We leave it at the level of personal disgust and think about something else.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, some researchers have been breaking down the bedroom doors of the elderly to find out exactly what they are doing. There’s a new Australian study which interviewed 3,275 men in the range of 75 to 95 years, a significant number also providing samples to measure their hormone levels. More than 1,000 of these men were sexually active although, as they advanced through their 80s into their 90s, the frequency of sex declined. Slightly more than half wished they could have more sex. Sadly, the opportunities did not present themselves too often. Worse, their physical mobility was often limited and, with some of the drugs they were required to take, their libido was reduced. This is a real lesson to doctors. If these figures are equally true of American seniors, more attention should be paid to their sexual needs in selecting the drugs to prescribe and their dosage. There’s also no evidence from this or any other studies to suggest that testosterone therapy is of any use. There’s no real problem in the desire to have sex. It’s more the shortage of available partners. (more…)

Hollywood has a fairly consistent theme in movies involving younger men. It seems we’re all obsessed with the idea of sex, although more with the idea of self-publicity than sense. Experts have declared that the average man thinks about sex every seven seconds. What a fantasy. Perhaps we think about sex ten or so times a day, particularly if we’re not in a steady relationship. But if we can have sex on a regular basis, there’s less incentive to fantasize about it. We just get on with it. Anyway, the whole question of what men want was recently the subject of an international study. It covered some 27,800 men aged between 20 and 75 in eight countries and was intended to discover what men think is important and how they view the concept of masculinity. This type of research should come with a health warning because there are major differences between cultures on the fundamental roles of men and women in society. It’s not really possible to come up with results that map on to any one of the eight cultures. We tend to end up with opinions and attitudes that fail to resonate with men in any meaningful way.

So, for example, the men were asked to rank ideas like, “being physically attractive”, “being successful with women”, “being in control of your life”, “having an active sex life”, and so on. With a strong influence from Europe, Mexico and Brazil, the concept of masculinity was actually associated with ideas of self-reliance, honor and being respected by friends. The more usual stereotypical notions based on sexual activity were considered relatively unimportant. Similarly, when men were asked to rank the concepts forming quality of life, it was considered more important to have a good and strong relationship with a wife or partner, and enjoy good health, than to have a good job or a satisfying sex life. It therefore appears the men who participated in this survey do not fit our traditional stereotype. They favor steady relationships even though this may not actually produce more sex. This cannot be a feeling that sex is not important or enjoyable. Under normal circumstances, an active sexual element to life is a part of a healthy life. It simply values the friendship with a partner as more important than sex. When these men were asked about erectile dysfunction, none of them saw this as a problem that the partnership could not solve. (more…)

Millions of people complain about different forms of neck pain that can seriously affect productivity and overall wellbeing. There is a set of causes for neck pain to occur and different solutions available for relieving it. These solutions cover the broad range from analgesics like Tramadol to surgical intervention in the most severe cases. Neck pain is quite widespread and finding a solution won’t be a big problem if you know what to start with.

Some of the most common causes for neck pain to occur include trauma, injury, stress, wrong posture and lack of physical activity. Neck is based on the spinal chord and anything that harms the spine will eventually cause neck pain. Falling asleep in awkward positions or sitting at your working desk without any movement all day long will certainly make you experience discomfort in the neck. That’s why physical activity and occasional breaks to put your spine to some movement and stretching are the most effective ways of preventing neck pain.

However, not all cases of neck pain are associated with the common causes. Meningitis is known to cause severe neck pain in certain cases. It is usually associated with a range of other symptoms including skin rash that doesn’t wear off, high sensitivity to light, upset stomach, vomiting and swelling in the back. In case you experience these signs of meningitis then you should contact your doctor as soon as possible and get adequate treatment of meningitis. (more…)

When we start feeling the unpleasant sensation in the chest known as heartburn, most of us start asking themselves what might be the actual cause for this? Because it’s certainly disturbing to experience things like this when you’re healthy in overall. Heartburn is characterized by the burning feeling in the esophagus that results from stomach content reflux into the esophagus and damage to the inner lining due to high acidity. It may also be accompanied by an unpleasant aftertaste without taking any food recently.

It is estimated that about 90% of all heartburn cases are actually caused by the food taken before the episode of heartburn. Certain foods increase the acidity in the stomach and provoke acid reflux into the esophagus, which ultimately leads to the burning sensations. So it’s very important to understand which foods and drinks can provoke acid production in the stomach in order to avoid heartburn.

Another aspect that may cause heartburn is the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). It is a circular muscle connecting the esophagus to the stomach and assuring that any food that gets into the stomach doesn’t get back up. However, when the LES is too weak or there are specific factors affecting its functionality the risk of experiencing a reflux and heartburn is higher. Caffeine is known to relax LES, so when you’re drinking coffee or soft drinks containing caffeine you’re more likely to experiencing heartburn.

Besides the negative effects of caffeine, there are specific products that are known to raise the acidity in the stomach and provoke reflux. Products like alcohol, chocolate, tomatoes, citrus fruits, saturated fats and salty foods are known to both relax LES and cause more acid to be produced in the stomach. When there’s too much acid produced it can provoke stomach content reflux into esophagus and cause serious damage to the lining of the esophagus that is not protected like the inner lining of the stomach.

Some people may also have a natural predisposition towards heartburn and acid reflux due to their physiology. Normally, the LES is located in the same plane as the diaphragm (the muscle responsible for breathing). And quite often the combined work of the diaphragm and LES is what keeps the stomach contents in the stomach. However, in some people the LES may be located below or above the plane of diaphragm, which puts the entire pressure of keeping the stomach closed shut on the LES alone. Without the support of the diaphragm it is harder to keep the stomach closed an avoid stomach content reflux into the esophagus. And that’s how physiology may be responsible for frequent heartburn. (more…)